Dozer vs Thaw

Dozer is a free, open-source macOS utility for hiding menu bar icons and keeping the status area less crowded. A left click toggles one icon group, while option-left-click controls an optional second group. Dozer can hide status bar icons automatically, including when it launches. Its documented No Icon mode uses a keyboard shortcut to hide and show icons without clicking the menu bar. Users can set the delay before icons disappear and adjust icon size and padding. Right-clicking opens settings. The README provides Homebrew Cask and manual installation instructions, and lists macOS 10.13 or later as the requirement. The repository uses the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Dozer supports hiding, rearranging and grouping menu items, plus keyboard shortcuts, but does not provide custom menu items. Bug reports and feature requests go through GitHub issues, with the app version requested in bug reports.

Thaw is a free, open-source macOS utility for hiding, revealing, and arranging menu bar items. Users can save arrangements as profiles linked to a display, Space, or Focus filter. Conditions such as battery level, Wi-Fi network, active Focus, or a script result can trigger items to appear or disappear. Appearance options include tint, gradients, shadows, borders, custom shapes, and light and dark mode settings.

Thaw requires macOS 26 or later and supports macOS 26 and 27. It includes a Raycast extension and thaw:// deep links for tools such as Alfred, Shortcuts, Keyboard Maestro, and BetterTouchTool. The project says the app requires no account and has no tracking, analytics, or telemetry. Accessibility permission is requested on first launch; Screen Recording is optional for live previews and wallpaper-derived tinting. It is licensed under GPL-3.0 and can be installed with Homebrew or as a DMG from the latest GitHub release. Only the latest stable release receives security fixes.